I Married a Sick Husband - Chapter 40

“Should we resume the trial again?”

 

“Yes.”

 

With Theodore’s permission granted, Felix now turned to the Duchess of Schwartz.

 

“Duchess Schwartz, do you admit that you abused Her Majesty the Empress as a child?”

 

“…..”

 

“I shall ask again, Duchess Schwartz. The fact that you abused Her Majesty as a child…”

 

“….I.”

 

Then, after Felix had stopped talking, the Duchess of Schwartz opened her mouth.

 

“When I was young, I abused Her Majesty the Empress. I admit to it.”

 

At the confession of the Duchess of Schwartz, those in the audience were once again very upset.

 

In the midst of it, a loud scream was heard.

 

“No, mother! It’s not!”

 

Catarina started shrieking at her.

 

“Why are you giving false answers, Mother! You’ve never been like this before!”

 

“Bring out Princess Schwartz.”

 

Felix, who had warned her once before, finally sent Catarina out of the courtroom.

 

“Mother! Why are you doing that, Mother!”

 

Catarina didn’t stop screaming and was dragged away by the guards.

 

‘What the hell are you thinking!’

 

Catarina couldn’t understand what the Duchess of Schwartz was doing.

 

‘This is digging your own grave!’

 

In case of abuse, there is no one to be a witness anyway.

 

If you hold on to the end, that’s it.

 

But why are you suddenly confessing! Why the hell!

 

“…..”

 

The Duchess of Schwartz looked at her daughter as she was being dragged away and only bit her lip in silence.

 

After a while, she opened her mouth again, with a single tear rolling down.

 

“I was all wrong. I then…… I must have really been crazy.”

 

While confessing her sins, the Duchess of Schwartz suddenly stood up.

 

Then, suddenly, she started walking towards Meredith.

 

Meredith’s guards were on high alert for fear that the Duchess of Schwartz might come to harm Meredith.

 

But what followed was very far from that.

 

“Oh my gosh… !”

 

So shocked by the sight in front of them, someone in the audience burst into an exclamation impatiently.

 

The Duchess of Schwartz knelt in front of Meredith and bowed her head.

 

All those who knew the Duchess of Schwartz’s lofty and proud disposition could not help but be astonished.

 

‘… this.’

 

But the most bewildered person here right now, no matter what anyone said, would be Meredith.

 

‘What the hell is this?’

 

Meredith couldn’t believe her eyes.

 

Even when she broke down and apologised for slapping her on the face, Meredith had assumed that the Duchess would never kneel in front of her and bow her head.

 

But to apologise in this way for something that didn’t even have to be confessed.

 

“I apologise like this, please forgive me for my past sins with your great generosity.”

 

She was dumbfounded by the polite apology.

 

It was when the surprised Meredith stared blankly for a while.

 

“With just one apology.”

 

She heard Theodore’s voice.

 

“If all sins could be washed away, that would have been too easy.”

 

He pointed out the Duchess of Schwartz’s behaviour in a sharp voice.

 

“Duchess, you have left an indelible scar on a person’s childhood.”

 

“Your majesty…… !”

 

“Do you think that you can be forgiven by getting down on your knees?”

 

…… So what am I supposed to do then?

 

The Duchess of Schwartz had to grind her teeth without realising it.

 

‘Just kneeling like this is shameful to the point of death to me!’

 

In her heart, she just wanted to leave this place right away.

 

But….

 

“There is no mercy. The Duchess of Schwartz, who dared to insult the empress of the Empire, will be put to death.”

 

Theodore stood up after pronouncing the death sentence in a cold voice.

 

He also spoke to Meredith, who was sitting there dumbfounded.

 

“Let’s go, Empress.”

 

“…… Yes, Your Majesty.”

 

Meredith finally came to her senses and nodded her head.

 

“Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty! Help me!”

 

As I was about to turn around, I heard the Duchess of Schwartz cry.

 

But even when Meredith heard that, she didn’t even feel the slightest pity.

 

‘…… His Majesty is right.’

 

It was a wound that had accumulated over a long period of time to end with a mere apology.

 

Besides, to forgive sins with a single apology was too lenient for the Duchess of Schwartz.

 

‘I’m sure she’ll end up in exile anyway.’

 

She hoped that the Duchess would feel the full horror of her own sin even for this moment.

 

She ignored it and tried to leave, but at that moment, Meredith’s and Blair’s eyes met.

 

“……”

 

At that moment, the feeling came.

 

‘It’s the work of Her Highness, Empress Dowager.’

 

She counted.

 

‘Did I ask for forgiveness under the pretext of leniency?’

 

But I didn’t understand a little bit.

 

‘Isn’t just asking me enough?’

 

Why did she make the Duchess of Schwartz, who was on the same side, do something that would make her feel humiliated?

 

‘Did she feel ashamed of the request without a price?’Did he feel embarrassed to ask you a favour without a reward?

 

While she was constantly reasoning, she suddenly had this idea.

 

‘…… Maybe they don’t think they’re on the same side.’

 

That said, the gap has already widened.

 

 

***

 

 

After the trial, the Duchess was again imprisoned in the dungeon.

 

“Get me out! Save me!”

 

The Duchess of Schwartz, sentenced to death, was now going insane.

 

“Please get me out of here!”

 

Maddened by the fear that her sentence might be carried out at any moment, she screamed loudly in the vast prison without anyone to listen.

 

“I don’t want my throat cut… !”

 

Then, at some point, she had screamt so much that she had lost her voice.

 

“hng, heuhng…… .” (sfx: sob)

 

She couldn’t even make a sound anymore.

 

The Duchess of Schwartz eventually began to sob.

 

“Why me… Why should I be humiliated like this! What did I do wrong!”

 

She was the one who apologised for her past mistakes in her courtroom, but her memory of that was long since erased.

 

The humiliating apology earlier by the Duchess of Schwartz was just an act to survive.

 

‘The Empress Dowager…… ! She said she would spare me if I just apologised!’

 

It was three minutes before her break when Empress Blaire came to visit her once again.

 

‘Apologise to the empress for the past abuse, Duchess Schwartz.’

 

‘Your Highness Empress Dowager! At that time, I didn’t even have a witness!’

 

The Duchess of Schwartz jumped up as if it made no sense.

 

‘Is there a reason for me to do that? Why should I dig my own grave?’

 

‘That will be the case, Duchess Schwartz. I asked her for her leniency in exchange for that.’

 

With that said, Blair repeated what she said the other day.

 

‘Shouldn’t we stop Princess Schwartz from getting married without a mother?’

 

The Duchess of Schwartz was eventually forced to give in to the excuse once again.

 

So she apologised. But to be honest, she would have apologised if she hadn’t abused Meredith in the past.

 

If only I could save my life.

 

That much, sincerity was not the most important thing.

 

“You have promised, Your Highness, Empress Dowager… … .”

 

Did the empress dowager break her promise?

 

The Duchess of Schwartz couldn’t stand her frustration and she sobbed for a long time.

 

 

***

 

 

At the same time, the Schwartz Mansion.

 

Upon returning home, Duke Schwartz first looked for Catarina.

 

“Where is Catarina now?”

 

It was a very angry voice.

 

The butler answered cautiously.

 

“She is in her room.”

 

Hearing those words, Duke Schwartz went directly up to Catarina’s room.

 

“Catarina!”

 

As she slammed the door open without knocking and entered, Catarina, who had been walking up and down the room, biting her fingernails with her nervous expression, stopped and looked at Duke Schwartz.

 

“Father! How is mother… !”

 

But Catarina had to keep her mouth shut without being able to finish her words.

 

-Slap!

 

It was because Duke Schwartz slapped Catarina on the cheek with an angry face.